Bulldogs Advance To Match Play At NCAA Championships

The Georgia men's golf team accomplished its first goal on Thursday in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championships. The quest for the second goal begins on Friday.

Needing a top-8 effort to advance to match play, the 12th-seeded Bulldogs finished fifth with a total of 20-over-par 884. Georgia capped stroke play with a final-round 17-over 305, its highest figure of the three-day event at Karsten Creek Golf Club.

"It was a struggle today," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "It's just a tough golf course, and it was one of those days where you try to hold on and survive. I was proud of the guys for staying with it. Nobody got down and they fought through it, so it turned out OK."

With the fifth-place finish, Georgia advanced to match play where it will play fourth-place Illinois. The Bulldogs and the Illini will tee off on Friday at 11:45 a.m. The other pairings for match play are No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 8 Duke, No. 2 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 Augusta State and No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 6 Ohio State. The winners will advance to Saturday, and the team champion will be crowned on Sunday.

Illinois and Oklahoma State finished tied for third in stroke play, and the Cowboys wound up No. 3 and the Illini No. 4 in the bracket based on the cumulative drop score (plus-16 for Oklahoma State, plus-26 for Illinois).

"Now, anything goes," Haack said. "It doesn't matter who you play; you just have to get ready and go hit them. Every team that made it to match play is good. Any team we play from here on out is going to be a formidable opponent. I just hope we can bring our best stuff."

Sophomore T.J. Mitchell paced the Bulldogs on Thursday with a 3-over 75. Senior Harris English and sophomore Bryden Macpherson each added a 4-over 76, while senior Hudson Swafford signed for a 6-over 78 and senior Russell Henley had a 7-over 79.

English finished 10th in the individual standings with a total of 1-over 217. Medalist honors went to LSU's John Peterson at 5-under 211. Swafford wound up at 7-over 223, followed by Henley at 11-over 227, Macpherson at 13-over 229 and Mitchell at 14-over 230.

Georgia has logged just two match play rounds at the NCAAs, both coming in 2009 at Inverness Club in Ohio. The Bulldogs dispatched Oklahoma State in a memorable first-round pairing, then lost to Arkansas in the second round. English, Henley and Swafford all were in the lineup for Georgia that season.

Asked if he likes his team in the match play format: "I like my team in anything, so yeah. Why not us?"


Live coverage can be found at www.ncaa.com

Dawgs Move Up To Fourth, English Sits In Third

Senior Harris English is the low Buldog at the NCAA Championship, currently tied for 3rd

On the strength of the second-lowest round of the day, the Georgia men's golf team improved to fourth place at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday at Karsten Creek Golf Club.

The Bulldogs shot an even-par 288, bettered only by Illinois' 1-under 287, and stand at 3-over 579 through 36 holes. Georgia is six shots behind tournament leader Georgia Tech, and, perhaps more importantly, 11 shots better than eighth-place teams Texas A&M and Ohio State. After Thursday's round, the top eight teams will move onto match play to determine the national champion.

"We knew coming out here, it would take three good rounds," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "You just can't make any mistakes. We've got two in the books and one more to go. We've got to go out and play solid and keep the same mindset. We've got to play the golf course as it comes. I want us to do what we've been doing: hit the fairways and the greens and stay out of trouble as much as you can. It feels good to be in the hunt. We're in a position to kind of control our own destiny, and that's where we want to be."

Senior Harris English and sophomore Bryden Macpherson paced the Bulldogs with 1-under 71s on Wednesday. Senior Russell Henley added an even-par 72, while senior Hudson Swafford signed for a 2-over 74. Sophomore T.J. Mitchell had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 9-over 81.

English improved to 3-under 141, two shots behind John Peterson of LSU. English is vying to join George Hamer (1946) as the only Bulldogs to capture medalist honors at the NCAAs. Ex-Bulldogs Ryuji Imada and Chris Kirk had NCAA runner-up efforts. The 2011 champion will be crowned following Thursday's round.

Also Wednesday, Swafford moved to 1-over 145, followed by Henley at 4-over 148, Macpherson at 9-over 153 and Mitchell at 11-over 155.

"We're definitely moving in the right direction," Macpherson said. "We've gotten off to a good start this week, and we can build on that. It's feeling really good here. If we just have some fun, I think it all will fall into place."

Swafford's round included a rarity as he and his playing partners -- LSU's Ken Looper and Texas' Toni Hakula -- all made eagles on the par-5, 570-yard 14th hole. Said Swafford, "That's pretty crazy. I don't think I've ever heard of that or seen that. I'm just glad I could be a part of it because it helped me."

The Bulldogs will tee off in the final round in 10-minute increments between 1:20 and 2 p.m. with their counterparts from Alabama and Oklahoma State. The weather forecast for Stillwater on Thursday calls for a high of 94 degrees with wind gusts reaching 20 miles per hour. Live scoring can be found at ncaa.com.

In other news, English, Henley and Swafford have been named to the All-Southeast Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Also, the Southern Golf Association announced Wednesday that Henley, on the heels of his victory in the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA, has been chosen as the National Amateur of the Month for May. Henley became just the second amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event.

English-Led Bulldogs In Fifth At NCAA Championships

Hudson Swafford after holing a putt on hole 9 in round one.

The Georgia men's golf team opened the NCAA Championships in fifth place on Tuesday at Karsten Creek Golf Club.

The Bulldogs, who are seeded 12th, fired a 3-over-par 291 in the first round and are tied for fifth with Ohio State. Georgia Tech snared the first-round lead with a 5-under 283.

After three rounds of stroke play, the top eight teams will advance to match play to determine the national champion. To a man, the Bulldogs said being in the top eight after the first round is mentally satisfying.

"We came out of the gate stronger, which was our goal," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We stumbled a little at the end. But overall, it was a good day. We put ourselves in a good position. But this golf course can jump up and bite you, so we've got to play well the next two days too."

"It feels good to be in the mix after the first day," said senior Harris English, who paced the Bulldogs with a 2-under 70. "The past couple of tournaments, we haven't gotten off to a good start. Our goal is to win stroke play, and we've got to keep that in mind and go after it tomorrow."

With English leading the way, the Bulldogs got off to a blistering start and spent much of the early part of the round atop the leaderboard. The Bulldogs played the front nine 4-under, including English's 5-under 31. He eagled the first hole and added three birdies on the front nine. He tacked on another birdie on No. 10 to start off at 6-under.

"What we did on the front nine shows that can we make birdies out here," English said. "We hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. It was definitely promising."

English is fifth in the individual race, three shots behind Georgia Tech's James White. Senior Hudson Swafford is ninth at 1-under 71, including an eagle on the par-5, 551-yard 18th. Sophomore T.J. Mitchell signed for 2-over 74, followed by senior Russell Henley at 4-over 76 and sophomore Bryden Macpherson at 10-over 82.

The Bulldogs will tee off on Wednesday at 9:10 a.m. Live results can be found at ncaa.com.

"We've got to stay patient," Haack said. "This is one of the toughest golf courses we'll play all year. We have to keep it in play and give ourselves a lot of chances. We have to avoid the big numbers."

Bulldogs Begin Quest for Third National Championship

The Men's Golf Team will begin play in the 2011 NCAA Championship today in Stillwater Oklahoma.

The Bulldogs will join 29 of the nation’s top teams at Oklahoma State’s Karsten Creek Golf Club (par 72, 7,416 yards). Georgia is guaranteed of playing Tuesday through Thursday in the stroke play portion of the tournament. After Thursday’s round, the tournament medalist will be recognized and the top eight teams will advance to the match play bracket, with four matches on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday to determine the national champion.

“Our mindset is that we have a chance to win this golf tournament,” said Coach Chris Haack, who led the Bulldogs to NCAA titles in 1999 and 2005. “That’s the only way to go into the nationals.”

Haack will use a lineup of seniors Harris English, Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford, and sophomores Bryden Macpherson and T.J. Mitchell. Swafford and English have appeared in two NCAAs each, while Henley has played twice with his teammates and last year as an individual when the Bulldogs’ 12-year run of consecutive berths was snapped. Macpherson and Mitchell will be making their NCAAs debuts.

Georgia’s players will tee off in 10-minute increments between 2:30 and 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday and between 9:10 and 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are the tournament’s No. 12 seed and will be paired with 10th-seeded LSU and 11th-seeded Texas in the first two rounds. Oklahoma State, UCLA and Alabama are the tournament’s Nos. 1-3 seeds.

Prior to their arrival in Stillwater, the Bulldogs held a players-and-coaches-only retreat to get prepared.

Asked what his message was, Haack recounted it almost in Rockne-esque terms: “When we’re playing at the nationals, it’s not just for you, it’s for all of us. If you’re on the golf course and things go bad, don’t panic. You’ve got teammates you can depend on. Remember that we’re doing this as a team. It’s not an individual thing. If we bond together and pull for one another, great things can happen. This is our chance, our time, our moment.”

Georgia got a look at Karsten Creek last September in the PING/Golfweek Preview. The Bulldogs came in third, just five shots behind home-standing Oklahoma State. Swafford finished second, while Henley came in 10th and English placed 16th.

“Every course is different, and a team feels most comfortable when a course sets up well for it. That’s how we feel about Karsten Creek,” Haack said. “Having played well there in the fall makes a huge difference. When guys love a golf course, that’s a good thing. It beats the alternative of having negative vibes about a place.”

Live scoring can be found at golfstat.com and on the NCAA Championship homepage.  

Imada Finishes 3rd at Byron Nelson

Former Bulldog All-American, Ryuji Imada, recorded his best finish of the 2011 season on the PGA Tour this past weekend at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving Texas.  Imada began the final round in third place and held the lead by himself late on the back nine Sunday, but fell to third with bogeys on his last two holes.  Ryuji finished a shot back of a playoff between eventual winner and PGA Tour rookie Keegan Bradley and Ryan Palmer.  For the week, Imada collected $377,000 and moved to 75th on the PGA Tour money list.

Georgia Golfers Qualify For NCAA Championship

The 12th-ranked Georgia men’s golf team punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship by placing fourth in the NCAA Colorado Regional on Saturday.

Georgia and Arizona State finished tied for fourth, meaning those teams snagged the final spots from the regional for the NCAAs, which will be held May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla. Also advancing from the regional were Oklahoma State, Colorado State and Northwestern.  Georgia and Arizona State finished one stroke ahead of TCU.

“I’ve always said this is the most nerve-racking tournament we play, and this result shows why,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “You had nine teams with a legitimate shot at the five spots, and there was no room for error. I am proud of the way our guys got up off the mat after the first day and got us back to the NCAAs. We are excited about the opportunity to play again for the national championship.”

On Saturday, the Bulldogs carded a 1-under 287 to finish at 7-under 857. Georgia’s critical round came on Friday when it posted a 12-under 276, an 18-stroke improvement over the first day. Top-ranked and top-seeded Oklahoma State won the regional at 31-under 833.

Senior Harris English paced the Bulldogs in the final round with a 4-under 68 as he wound up at 6-under 210. English came in fourth, four shots behind Oklahoma State’s Kevin Tway.

Seniors Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford each shot an even-par 72 on Saturday, followed by sophomore T.J. Mitchell at 3-over 75 and sophomore Bryden Macpherson at 4-over 76. Mitchell came in ninth at 4-under 212, Henley placed 15th at 2-under 214, Swafford closed at 5-over 221 and Macpherson finished at 11-over 227.

The NCAAs will begin on Tuesday, May 31, in Stillwater, Okla. The 30 teams in the field will play 54 holes of stroke play, which will determine the individual champion. The top eight teams then will move on to match play to ultimately crown the team champion. Georgia won national titles in 1999 and 2005.

Future Bulldog Nicholas Reach To Be Featured on CBS Special This Sunday

Future Bulldog, Nicholas Reach

This past April, Georgia Golf signee Nicholas Reach, was victorious in the inaugural Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.  The Junior Invitational brought together the top junior players from around the world to compete in a three round tournament at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, SC.  Reach went on to win the event by 8 strokes as he recorded a course record 62 in the first round.  This Sunday, May 22nd, CBS will air a special on the event at 2 pm.  The special will air precede the final round coverage of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.  To read more about the event and watch a preview of the special, click here:
http://www.pgatour.com/2011/company/05/16/junior/